Window blind



March 28, 1939. H. 1., STONE 2,152,000

WINDOW BLIND Filed June 4 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jrq 155 72.

L7L J INVENTOR March 28, 1939. H 1., STONE 2,152,000

WINDOW BLIND Filed June 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KILL- g 3272' Z Ji'one,

ORNEY Patented Mar. 23,1939

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDOW BLIND Barry L. Stone, New York, Application June 4, 1938, Serial N0. 211,713 8 Claims. (Cl. 15616) This invention relates to an improvement in window blinds and has for its object the provision of a blind capable of performing the functions of a window shade, a blind, a so-called storm sash", and an awning and in addition, to provide a fire-proof protective screen.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a flexible blind composed of a plurality of metal slats, linked together by flexible means in such a manner as to permit the slats to be maintained in spaced relationship when desired for ventilating purposes, or else disposed in closed or overlapping position to present the aspect of a. single, continuous metal closure of storm tight and fire-proof construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide adjusting means by which the blind may be disposed angularly with respect to the window frame to which it is applied whereby the blind will perform the functions of an awning.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for guiding and holding the blind in various operative positions whereby it may function in the several capacities hereinafter described.

In theaccompanying drawings, wherein an embodiment of the invention is shown, Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a blind constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the blind, with parts of the window frame in which the same is mounted, broken away to disclose the roller and mounting therefor; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the-line 3-3 of Fig. 6,1ooking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through a window, the frame therefor, and the blind, with parts broken away to disclose construction; Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through the lower portion of the body of the blind showing some of the slats in nested or closed position and others in separated or open position; Figs. 7- and 8 are detailed sectional views of parts of the blind, showing the slats in open and closed positions, respectively; Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 10 is an end view of the upper portion of the blind; and Fig. 11 is a sectional view on the line |l-|l of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawings, a window frame of conventional metal construction is shown, the same having the vertical side portions I and 2, the sill 3 and top I and having the conventional doublehung sashes 5 and 6. In the top portion of the window frame, above the upper sash 5 is provided a chamber 6' having bearings 1 located at its opposite ends in which the shaft 8 of a roller 9 is rotatively mounted. Said roller is provided with the spaced flanges or disks I and I I between which the blind is confined.

The blind is composed of a plurality of slats 10, flexibly linked together in a manner to be described, said blind terminating at its lower end in the bottom member II. The slats which 10 make up the body of the blind are so connected that they co-operate in the formation of a flexible curtain, and they are shown in detail in Figs.

6, 7,. 8 and 10. Each of the slats is preferably composed of sheet metal bent into channelled 16 form and having the tapered and rounded top It, and grooved lower edge l3, said grooved lower edge being shaped to closely fit the tapered top edge of the slat over which it is disposed as clearly shown in Fig. 10 and in the lower por- 20 tion of Fig. 6. The ends of the sheet of metal from which the slat is formed are inturned within the hollow body of the slat, as indicated at H and are spaced apart to form flanges through which. screws I 5 extend, the screws being inserted from the inside face of the slats as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, and extending through the inner wall ii of the slat and through the flanges I 4..

The greater portion of the body of the blind is thus composed of the slats 10 linked together by means of slotted links 16, each link having an elongated slot l1 formed at each of its ends, the screws H) which extend through each slat, each engaging with a slot in the lower end of the link which extends downwardly inside of the slat through slot l8 formed in the top thereof, and also engaging with the top slot in another link extending to the next slat through the space between the flanges l4. This slotted link connection between the slats provides a flexible means 40 by which the slats may be maintained in either the spaced or open position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or in the closed or overlapping position shown in Fig. 8 and also shown at the lower portion of Fig. 6. It also enables the blind to be rolled up on the roller 9 to maintain it in a raised or partly raised position. Since the upper portion of the blind never descends sufficiently to become exposed, the use of links I 6 for connection of the slats located in said upper portion is not necessary and instead a continuous flexible tape 20 (Fig. 10) may be employed in said upper portion of the blind. These tapes, in spaced relation, are used for the connection of the slats in the upper portion of the blind, or in other words, the.tapes connect those slats shown at 2|, 22 and 22 etc. to the point of attachment of the blind to the roller I.

The ends of the slats are shaped guide member having side portions and 25 in which the opposite ends of the slats are slidably guided, and having a bottom or end piece 26 connecting the sides 24 and 25 in which the end slat H of the blind is brought to rest when the blind is in its lowered position, as shown in Fig. 6. The hanelled guide is thus substantially U-shaped, the upper end portions of the sides 24 and 25 of said guide being pivotally mounted at Hand 28 within the chamber 5 and provided with projecting guide flanges 12 for guiding the blind into the grooves in the guide member. By means of this pivotal mounting of the guide, its lower end may be swung outwardly whenever desired, such as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, to thereby position the guide angularly and enable it to hold the blind in so-called "awning" position. The sides 24 and 25 of the guide are pivotally connected near their lower ends. as indicated at 3! of which has its opposite end provided with a headed stud 32 guided in a vertical slot 33 formed in a plate 34 secured to one of the sides of the window frame. Said slot is formed with several spaced lateral extensions 35,

which the pin 32 may tioned to cause the guide member to be disposed at any selected inclination. A knob or handle 24 is provided on each of the studs 32 to facilitate the manual inclination of the guide as desired.

The blind is raised or lowered in the guide member by means of a tape 35 which has one end attached to the shaft 8 of roller 9 near one end of the roller, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, between the hub 38 of, disk H and the disk 31. From its point of attachment to the roller, the tape 35 extends downwardly within the window frame under guide 38, and thence extends on theoutside of the frame through aperture 39 therein. The tape extends downwardly on the outside of the frame for a relatively short distance, the exposed portion of said tape being indicated at 4|! and clearly seen in Fig. 1. This exposed portion of the tape is located on the inside of the window frame, or in other words, within the room, so that it is readily available for grasping and manipulation to raise or lower the blind. A short distance below aperture 39 is another similar aperture 4| formed in a face plate 42 removably attached over a slot in the window frame. The tape portion passes through said aperture 4| and enters within the window frame where it is engaged and held against longitudinal shifting movement by means of a gripping finger 43, pivoted at 44 on the back of plate 42. The end of the tape extending below the finger 43 within the frame is attached to a spring-controlled take-up roller 45. Roller 45 is rotatively mounted in a casing 46 attached to the back of face-plate 42 and is under the tension of spring 41 which tends to wind up the tape 35* on roller 45, but is normally restrained from doing so by means of the engagement of the gripping finger 43 with said tape.

From the foregoing, the operation of the blind will be clearly understood. To raise the blind, the exposed portion 40 of the tape 35" is grasped and pulled slightly outwardly, to free the engagement of the gripping finger 43 on the tape, and then pulled downwardly. This action causes roller 9 to be rotated, which, upon rotation, will raise the blind and cause it to be wound up on the roller. As fast as slack is created in tape 35' by the manbe posi-' ual pull thus imposed upon it in raising the blind, the slack created is taken up by the spring roller 45. The blind can be halted at any point in its raising movement and will be held in such partly raised position by means of the gripping finger 43 engaging the tape 35 and preventing it from moving upwardly. The slats III are maintained in either open or closed position by the extent of the pull imposed by tape 35-. That is to say, when the bottom slat comes to rest upon the lower member. 25 of the guide, the slats will, if slight slack is permitted in the tape 40, descend by gravity, one by one on top of one another in nested or overlapping relationship, as shown at the lower portion of Fig. 6. when the slats are all so nested. a weather-tight, fireproof screen results. At this time, the connecting links l6 between the slats are in the positions shown in Fig. 8. When it is desired to permit light and air to enter, the slats are caused to separate or spread apart as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. This is accomplished by a slight downward pull on the exposed portion 40 of the tape. Additional pull on the tape will then cause the blind to raise upwardly in its guide.

The blind may be locked in a lowered, closed position by means of the lock shown in Fig. 4. Said lock is contained within the hollow bottom member I i of the blind and it includes a rotatively mounted disk 5! pivoted at 5| and provided with an operating handle 52 exposed on the face of the blind member H and directed toward the room. Disk 50 is pivotally connected to links 53, each of which has its opposite end pivotally connected at 54 to the end of a rod 54, the rods extending through the guides and having their ends capable of being extended through openings 58 in the sides 24 and 25 of the guide and through openings 51 in the sides of the window frame. Thus, when the lock is in the position shown in Fig. 3 the blind cannot be raised in its guide since the rods 54 constitute bolts engaging with the sides of the guide and also with the window frame. At the same time the guide cannot be swung outwardly on its pivots 21 and 28 because it is held from doing so by means of the engagement of the rods through the guides and into the window frame. By rotation of the handle 52 the rods 54 are withdrawn from openings 55 and 51 and the blind can then be raised or the guide can be swung outwardly to awning position. An arcuate slot 58 in plate 50 engages with a pin 59 to limit rotatits?!t movement of the disk 50.

w 11 be clear that with the constructl n scribed, the advantages of a window sh adei a Venetian blind, an awning and a fireproof protective screen are obtainable from the single structure. In use the device is flexible; it can be raised or lowered by a simple, easy pull on the tape; it will function as an awning by merely swinging its guide frame outwardly to the required inclination, and the slats may be opened or closed as required by slight pull on, or a slight slackening of, the tape. The slats are so shaped that they nest snugly together when the blind is in closed position, thus providing a weather-tight joint between them, and the device being almost wholly of metal will last indefinitely and operate freely and easily. The take-up roller may be easily inspected or replaced by the quick removal of the face plate 42 which carries the roller casing 45 on its rear face, and inspection of the upper roller 8 is easily had by removal of the panel 50 which exposes the chamber 6 and which is normally held in closed position by means of the locks ii. The raising movement of the blind vention.

is limited'by means of the stops 1! which impinge against shoulder I6 on the frame when the blind is raised to its fully elevated position.

While I have shown a portion 40 of the tape exposed externally of the window frame, it will be obvious that the entire tape may be confined wholly within the frame and the frame provided with a door or other removable element permitting access to the-tape when desired. This and other changes may be readily made in the structure without departing from the spirit of the 'in- What I claim is: 1. A window blind comprising, a flexible curtain composed of a plurality of hollow slat m'embers, each of said slat members having a tapered upper edge and a grooved lower edge fitting the tapered edge, links for flexibly connecting the slats together, said links being slotted at their opposite ends, the slotted ends of the links being located within the slats, and pins within the slats passing through the slots in the links.

2. A window blind comprising, aflexible cur-,-

tain composed of a plurality of hollow slat members, each of said slat members having a convexly shaped upper edge and a concave lower edge fitting the convex-edge, links for flexibly connecting the slats together, said links being slotted at their opposite ends, the slotted ends of the links being located within the slats, pins within the slats passing through the slots in the links, said engagement of the pins with the links permitting the slats to be moved toward one another and into complementary engagement or. separated from one another, a. roller on which the curtain is wound, and means for controlling the operation of said roller and the movement of the slats to and from one another.

3. A window blind comprising a flexible curtain composed of a plurality of hollow slat members, each of said slat members having a tapered upper edge and a grooved lower edge fitting the tapered edge of an adjacent slat, links for flexibly connecting the slats together, said links being slotted at their opposite ends, the slotted ends of the links being located within the slats, pins within the slats passing through the slots in the links, a channelled guide mounted within the window frame in which the ends of the slats are guided during raising and lowering of the curtain, a roller above the guide upon which the curtain is wound, a pivotal mounting for the upper end of the channelled guide whereby the lower end of the guide may be swung outwardly and the guide thereby positioned angularly with respect to. the frame, and means for operating the roller.

4. A window blind comprising a flexible curtain composed of a plurality of hollow slat members, each of said slat members having a tapered upper edge and a grooved lower edge fitting the tapered edge. said slats being also provided with intumed flanges located within the body of the slat, links for flexibly connecting the slats toaitaooo 3 gether, said links being slotted at their opposite ends, the slotted ends of the links being located within the slats between the flanges, pins within the slats passing through the slots in the links and through the flanges, a channeled guide mounted within the window frame in which the ends of the slats are guided during. raising and lowering of the curtain, a roller above the guide upon which the curtain is wound, a pivotal mounting for the upper end of the channelled guide whereby the lower end of the guide may be swung outwardly and the guide thereby positioned angularly with respect to the window frame, and means for operating the roller.

5. In a window blind construction, a plurality of slats connected by slotted links, each of said slats comprising a hollow member having a tapered top edge and a grooved lower edge shaped to fit the tapered top edge, said slat hayin a pair of spaced intumed flange portions located within the body of the slat, and means engaging said flange portions and extending through the slots in the links.

6. In a window blind construction, a plurality -.'of slats connected by links slotted at both ends,

each of said slats comprising a hollow member having a tapered top edge and a grooved lower edge shaped to complementarily fit the tapered top edge, and concealed, upwardly extending,

flanges located within the bodies of the slats through which pins extend for engaging the slots in both ends of the link.

7. A device of the character described comprising, a window frame, a guide frame pivotally mounted therein whereby it may be positioned at various angles with respect to the window frame, a blind mounted for raising and lowering movement in said frame, said blind comprising a plurality of slats flexibly connected by links, a roller on which the blind is wound, means for operating the roller to raise and lower the blind and permit closing and opening movement of the'slats with respect to ,,one another, and

.means for locking the blindwithin'its guide in -lowered position and for simultaneously locking the guide against pivotal movement with respect to the window frame when the blind is locked in lowered position in the guide.

8. A window blind comprising a flexible curtain composed of a plurality of slats connected by slotted links, a roller on which the curtain is wound, a guide fitting a window frame and pivotally mounted therein to enable it to be maintained in either vertical or angular awning position, a flexible member engaging the roller by which the raising and lowering movement of the -curtain within the guide is controlled and by which relative movement of the slats to and from one another is also controlled, and locking means for locking the curtain against movement within its guide when the curtain is in lowered position and simultaneously locking the guide against Pivotal movement in the window frame.

EARRY'L STONE. 

